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The Beck Anxiety Inventory , created by Aaron T. Beck and other colleagues, is a 21-question multiple-choice self-report inventory that is used for measuring the severity of anxiety in adolescents and adults ages 17 and older. The questions used in this measure ask about common symptoms of anxiety that the subject has had during the past week. It is designed for individuals who are of 17 years of age or older and takes 5 to 10 minutes to complete. Several studies have found the Beck Anxiety Inventory to be an accurate measure of anxiety symptoms in children and adults.
The BAI contains 21 questions, each answer being scored on a scale value of 0 to 3. Higher total scores indicate more severe anxiety symptoms. The standardized cutoffs are:
The BAI has been criticized for its predominant focus on physical symptoms of anxiety. As such, it is often paired with the Penn State Worry Questionnaire, which provides a more accurate assessment of the cognitive components of anxiety commonly seen in generalized anxiety disorder.